Moldova, country lying in the northeastern corner of the Balkan region of Europe. Formerly known as Bessarabia, this region was an integral part of the Romanian principality of Moldavia until 1812, when it was ceded to Russia by its suzerain, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Bessarabia remained a province of the Russian Empire until after World War I, when it became a part of Greater Romania, and it reverted to Russian control in 1940–41 and again after World War II, when it was joined to a strip of formerly Ukrainian territory, the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, on the left bank of the Dniester River (Moldovan: Nistru) to form the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. Upon the collapse of the Soviet Union in August 1991, this republic declared its independence and took the name Moldova. It became a member of the United Nations in 1992. The capital city is Chișinău.

Since its independence in 1991, Moldova has been beset with an array of challenges stemming from four problematic situations. First, the country has sought to establish a viable state where no tradition of self-government and sovereignty had existed before. Second, without a local political tradition, it was difficult for Moldova to agree on a constitution and to find political leaders untainted by association with the highly centralized, authoritarian Soviet Union. Third, the transition from a controlled economy to a free market economy has been rocky. A largely agricultural economy based on state and collective farms had been developed under Soviet rule. When many of these farms were broken up and turned over to individuals after independence, considerable dislocation, loss of productivity, and allegations of corruption resulted. Finally, the economic transition was further impeded by the fact that much of Moldovan industry was located in the separatist region of Transdniestria, which had proclaimed independence from Moldova in 1990, resulting in a brief civil war. Although a cease-fire was declared in 1992, relations remained tense between Moldova and Transdniestria, and Russian troops are still present in the security zone. Transdniestria is also the source of much of Moldova’s electricity, which has been cut off at various times. Thus, Moldova’s road to nationhood has remained bumpy—from the first efforts at nation-building to the country’s pursuit of peace and prosperity in the 21st century.

Relief

Moldova lies to the east of the great arc of the Carpathian Mountains. It is underlain mostly by deep sedimentary rocks covering the southwestern portion of the ancient structural block known as the Russian, or East European, Plain. Harder crystalline rocks outcrop only in the north. Its surface is a hilly plain, with an average elevation of 482 feet (147 metres), cut by a deep network of river valleys, ravines, and gullies.

The uplands of the centre of the republic, the Codri Hills, lie at an average elevation of about 1,150 to 1,300 feet (350 to 400 metres), and the highest point, Mount Bălănești, in the west, reaches 1,407 feet (429 metres). These uplands are interlaced by deep, flat valleys, ravines, and landslide-scoured depressions separated by sharp ridges. Steep forested slopes account for much of the terrain. The Dniester uplands, their eastern slopes forming the high right bank of the Dniester River, border the central uplands on the east and northeast.

The northern landscape of Moldova is characterized by the level plain of the Bălți steppe (500 to 650 feet [150 to 200 metres] in elevation) and also by uplands averaging twice this elevation, culminating in Vysokaya Hill (1,053 feet [321 metres]). The northern uplands include the strikingly eroded Medobory-Toltry limestone ridges, which border the Prut River.

In the south, the extensive Bugeac Plain is broken by numerous ravines and gullies, while, in the east, left-bank Moldova includes spurs of the Volyn-Podolsk Upland cut into by tributaries of the Dniester.

Soils

The soils of Moldova are varied and highly fertile, with chernozem—rich black soils—covering three-fourths of the republic. The best-developed chernozem, fostering the growth of grain, tobacco, and sugar beets, is found in the north and in the low-lying parts of the central and Dniester uplands, as well as in the left-bank regions. Soil quality diminishes southward, but grapes and sunflowers still can be grown. Brown and gray forest soils characterize the uplands: two-fifths are covered by forests, the rest by orchards, vineyards, and fields of grain. Alluvial soils characterize the floodplains, while the lower reaches of the Prut and southern river valleys have saline and marshland soils. In general, the excessive use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides during the Soviet period has resulted in significant contamination of the soil and groundwater.

Climate

Moldova’s climate—warm and moderately continental—is characterized by a lengthy frost-free period, a comparatively mild winter, considerable temperature fluctuations, and, in the south, extended droughts. The average annual temperature is in the mid-40s F (about 8 °C) in the north and the low 50s F (about 10 °C) in the south, but the July averages rise to the upper 60s and low 70s F (about 19 and 23 °C), respectively, and the mercury seldom drops below the low 20s F (about −3 °C) in January. Extreme lows near −30 °F (about −36 °C) in the north and excessive highs near 100 °F (about 41 °C) in the south have been recorded. Moldova receives highly variable amounts of precipitation—usually averaging about 20 inches (500 mm) annually, with totals a little lower in the south—but these figures conceal variations that may double the quantity in some years and result in prolonged dry spells in others. Most precipitation occurs as rain in the warmer months, and heavy summer showers, coupled with the irregular terrain, cause erosion problems and river silting. Winter snow cover is thin. Winds tend to come from either the northwest or the southeast.

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